Having Defeated the ‘Big C,’ Daniel Jacobs is Hardly Intimidated by Canelo

Published

6 years ago

May 1, 2019

When it comes to sports movies, Hollywood has always been partial to boxing. Aside from fictional characters like Rocky Balboa, biopics, some of which have been quite good if not always factually accurate, have been made about Jim Corbett, Jake LaMotta, James J. Braddock, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, Chuck Wepner, Micky Ward, Mike Tyson, Roberto Duran, Vinny Pazienza and, of course, Muhammad Ali. There also were a couple of made-for-TV flicks about Rocky Marciano which, sad to say, failed to do the real Rocky justice.

But there are other, seemingly enthralling stories of actual fighters that have yet to get the silver-screen treatment. You’d think someone with clout in La La Land would consider doing something on either or both of the Sugar Rays, Robinson and Leonard. Bernard Hopkins’ tale of his lengthy championship reign after doing hard time in prison would seem to merit a look, as would the inspiring careers of Matthew Saad Muhammad and Arturo Gatti, both of whom made an art form of rallying to win fights they had no business winning.

And if some enterprising producer is looking for a project about a never-say-die scrapper who whipped an opponent scarier than anything he could ever face in the ring, he or she need look no further than the aptly nicknamed “Miracle Man,” Daniel Jacobs, whose career – and earthly existence – was imperiled by osteosarcoma, a rare and insidious form of bone cancer. Eight years ago a large tumor wrapped itself around Jacobs’ spine, paralyzing the then-24-year-old and consigning him to a wheelchair. Told by doctors he likely would never box again and should be thankful that the osteosarcoma, which was malignant, was caught early enough to likely save his life, Jacobs’ response was to buckle down and work hard enough to whip the “Big C,” cancer, as scary a word as a shout of “shark!” is to summertime beachgoers.

After 17 months of physically and emotionally draining treatment, Jacobs resumed a career that many had wrongly assumed was finished. Thus was conferred upon him the inspirational nickname that suggests that the human spirit indeed can be unconquerable, if bolstered by the kind of resiliency, courage and foresight exhibited by the Brooklyn native who already has demonstrated he is up to the task of defying long odds.

But the story of Daniel Jacobs remains a work in progress, a potential movie in search of a rousing ending. Such an exclamation point might or might not be furnished Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, when the now-32-year-old Jacobs (35-2, 29 KOs) puts his IBF middleweight championship on the line against Canelo Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 KOs), who holds the WBA, WBC, lineal and The Ring magazine 160-pound titles.

The bout, which will be streamed internationally by DAZN, is another instance of Jacobs confronting a fearsome “Big C” in the form of Canelo, a -500 wagering favorite (meaning you’d have to bet $500 to win $100) who appears to have everything going for him, with the exceptions of a couple of inches of height and a bit longer reach that certify Jacobs as the marginally larger man. But bigger doesn’t necessarily translate to better, especially inside the ropes, and it will be up to Jacobs to again demonstrate that he is capable of making miracles. When the opening bell sounds, he will be tasked with the formidable challenge of upsetting a highly skilled, laser-focused Mexican national hero during Cinco de Mayo weekend, and in a venue that has become almost as much of a home-field advantage for Alvarez as if the fight were being staged in his backyard in Guadalajara.

“This is a can’t-miss type of fight, a Hall of Famer-type of fight,” said Jacobs, widely regarded as the third-best middleweight in a global landscape where the drop-off after the top two, Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin, is and will continue to be stark until proven otherwise. “When you think about top pound-for-pound fighters today, I’m not sure if I’m on that list. But wherever the fans choose to place me, that’s what I’m grateful for.

“The general consensus is that Canelo is not only the face of boxing, but he is probably pound-for-pound one of the best in the sport. I think a victory over him, a convincing victory, would definitely solidify my spot and it would be inevitable for people to know who Daniel Jacobs is.”

Jacobs is correct; as accomplished as he is, he is nowhere to be found on the top 10 pound-for-pound ratings posted by the Boxing Writers Association of America, The Ring and ESPN.com. The vastly popular Canelo, in addition to being the most highly paid active fighter (in October 2018 he signed a five-year, 11-fight deal with DAZN for a staggering $365 million) since Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s retirement, is third on all of the aforementioned lists.

So what other edges does Alvarez seemingly have going into what appears to be, at least on paper, one of the more attractive matchups that can be made in 2019? Well, he is 28, nearly four years younger than Jacobs; he will be appearing for the 12^th time in Las Vegas, for the fifth time at the T-Mobile Arena and for the fifth time during Cinco de Mayo weekend. His appearances in Vegas are the boxing equivalents of when Elvis came to town, a cause for breathless celebration not only for locals but for his many fans who pour into town like a tsunami, filling hotels, restaurants and showrooms while loudly proclaiming their support of the red-haired rock star wearing padded gloves.

Jacobs, on the other hand, is most comfortable fighting on the East Coast, especially in New York City venues. Although this will be his ninth bout in Vegas, it will be his first appearance there in nearly nine years, when, leading on all three scorecards, he failed to claim the vacant WBO middleweight belt when he was knocked out in the fifth round by now-retired Russian Dmitry Pirog. In terms of fan support on Saturday night, Jacobs and his smattering of supporters will be as outnumbered as bow tie-wearing certified public accountants at a bikers convention.

But none of that will matter when the first punch is thrown in earnest. Boxing destiny often is played out in strange and unusual ways, and Alvarez-Jacobs would seem to have the potential to provide a surprise or two.

“It is a high-risk fight,” Alvarez acknowledged of the very real threat posed by Jacobs. “I believe Jacobs is unique because he’s a very complete fighter. He can box, he can punch. He’s tall, agile. But I have fought all the styles out there. I can adapt and overcome. I want to be remembered as one of the greats in boxing. I want to continue writing history.”

Can Jacobs triumph? He not only believes he can, but will, and do so emphatically. “I think I’m the bigger hitter and definitely the stronger fighter,” he said, an opinion that may or not be valid. In a town where fortunes can be won or lost on the turn of a single card, boxing is not all that different from high-stakes Texas Hold ’Em. You win big or lose big, but to do either you have to have enough gumption to take a seat at the table.

“This is how Danny has basically been living his life,” said Andre Rozier, Jacobs’ longtime trainer. “He’s been places that none of us ever will – and I pray, never have to – visit. Danny has been through the worst that anybody could be through, and he once again will rise to the occasion.”

Bernard Fernandez is the retired boxing writer for the Philadelphia Daily News. He is a five-term former president of the Boxing Writers Association of America, an inductee into the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Atlantic City Boxing Halls of Fame and the recipient of the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism and the Barney Nagler Award for Long and Meritorious Service to Boxing.

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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

Published

3 days ago

March 30, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Ringside-at-the-Fontainebleau-where-Mikaela-Mayer-won-her-Rematch-with-Sandy-Ryan

LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.

The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.

Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.

Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.

Co-Feature

In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.

The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.

A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.

Other Bouts

In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.

Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.

Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.

Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.

Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.

Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.

Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.

Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.

There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

Published

3 days ago

March 29, 2025

David A. Avila

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.

There were no knockdowns in this rematch.

The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.

It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.

Nothing changed in their second meeting.

Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.

The blows came in bunches.

In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.

Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.

Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.

During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.

But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.

“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.

Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.

“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.

Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.

“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.

Female Flyweight Battle

Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.

Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.

Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.

The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.

Neither fighter could take over the fight.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.

Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.

Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.

Puerto Rico vs Mexico

Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.

Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More

Published

4 days ago

March 28, 2025

David A. Avila

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Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.

Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.

Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.

ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.

“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.

If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.

For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.

Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.

No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.

Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.

The fight breakdown

Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.

Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.

That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.

More drama.

During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.

New York City got its money’s worth.

Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.

Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?

“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”

Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.

That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?

Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.

Can she draw enough of that fire out again?

“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”

Co-Main in Las Vegas

The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.

Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.

Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.

Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.

Golden Boy in Cancun

A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.

In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.

Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.

Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.

Fights to Watch

Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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